Evermore
by PJOKCHG
Summary: Enjolras had never been in love. He never understood what made his friends go into a state of euphoria when a woman was around. Women meant nothing to him...until he meets Eponine. Enjonine one-shot based on the song Evermore from Beauty and the Beast 2017


**Author's note: TO MY LAVIE QUE NOUS AVONS CREE ENSEMBLE FANS: i did NOT abandon the story! I just need a little break, especially since I still have a seven page essay to write! :P**

 **I am going to throw this out there that I am terrible at one-shots. I prefer chapters than a short story-like-thing. So this probably isn't very good.**

 **If you have heard the song Evermore from the new Beauty and the Beast and loved it like I did, then you might enjoy this story!**

 **Read it and tell me what you think!**

 **Evermore**

"They will come when we call!" came the cheers from Les Amis de L'ABC. The announcement of Lamarque's death still played in Enjolras's head. The leader of these schoolboys, although sadden by the loss of their great leader, used Lamarque's death as a way to rally the French people to rebel against the King. _One more day before the storm._

Enjolras noticed his friend Marius was still in awe about the woman he bumped into earlier. "Oh Enjolras! If you had been there tonight you might know how it feel to be struck to the bone in a moment of breathless delight! Oh, have you been there tonight you might also have known about how your world may be changed by just one burst of light! How everything that was right seems wrong, and everything that's wrong seems right!" Enjolras rolled his eyes. "Marius, we don't have time for women! We don't have time for love! What matters is what's in front…" he stopped mid-sentence. There she was. Eponine. She made her way up the stairs, her head peering over the rail.

Enjolras had never been in love. He never understood what made his friends go into a state of euphoria when a woman was around. Women meant nothing to him. He just had no interest. All that mattered was the revolution.

* * *

When Eponine came into the cafe for the first time, he didn't give her a second thought. She just hung around Marius, watching him with such care, such affection, such love. At rallies, she tagged along like a baby duckling following its mother. She asked Marius many questions about the cause, as if she had an interest. She probably didn't. She was probably too engrossed in the attention Marius gave her. _Women_ Enjolras scoffed.

As days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, Enjolras bean to get accustomed to her presence at the meetings. But for some reason, he began to feel strange. He would feel nauseous. His heart would race and beat hard, as if it was trying to escape his body. His palms began to sweat. He honestly felt like he was dying of a horrible disease. The thing was, he only felt like that when Eponine was around. _What is this feeling?_ He was afraid to ask Joly, for fear of humiliation by his peers (Enjolras was never one to ask for help. All the Amis knew that). Eventually, he let the idea of his illness go. _You have a revolution to run. No time for neurotics. It's probably nothing._

The symptoms got worse the more he saw Eponine. At one point late at night while writing his speech, Enjolras noticed that instead of writing Patria like he always did, he wrote her name. Eponine. _Why?_ Enjolras began to feel his heart beat at the beauty of the name that was etched on the paper. He scratched it out and continued his speech.

He would lay in his bed after a long meeting, but when he would closed his eyes, her face would appear. _Damn! What's wrong with me?_

The more he saw her, whether in his dreams or in real life, he would try to fight what he felt. But he couldn't.

The first time they spoke was before a meeting. Eponine walked up the stairs into the room where Enjolras was preparing.

She knocked on the wall.

"Monsieur Enjolras?" she asked.

Enjolras turned around to face her.

"May I help you?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but is Monsieur Marius here yet?"

Enjolras shook his head.

"May I wait here for him?"

"Be my guest." Enjolras said as he went back to his work.

Eponine took a seat at one of the tables and waited, but it seemed that she was never the patient type, so she began walking around the cafe.

She finally made a stop at the table where Enjolras sat, taking the place across from him.

"May I help you, mademoiselle?" he asked without looking up.

"I liked your speech yesterday." she told.

Enjolras' ears perked up at those words.

"Just the way you use your words in almost a hypnotic fashion is quite...what's the word…?"

"Amazing? Interesting? Phenomenal?..."

"THAT'S THE WORD!" Eponine exclaimed.

Enjolras looked at her a little funny.

"You really like my work?"

"Yes, yes I do! I mean I don't agree with what you are fighting for, but I do like it!"

"I should've known. You women are all the same…"

"We are not! At least, I'm not like the women you are thinking of."

"I can see that." Enjolras teased.

Eponine crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you married?"

"I choose not to be." Enjolras responded.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Enjolras heart began to beat at the sound of those words.

"No. I don't have time for it."

Eponine scooted close to Enjolras, making him uncomfortable.

"So you've never held a woman's hand, like this."

She took his hand into hers, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

"And look into her beautiful eyes and tell her how much she means to you?"

The two of them locked eyes, making a small bit of chemistry between the two. Eponine and

Enjolras sat in silence, almost admiring one another.

"Eponine?" came a voice that broke their silence.

Eponine wore a huge smile on her face at who she saw.

"Marius!"

Enjolras turned around and watched as she ran over to him.

"I hope she wasn't bothering you, my friend!" Marius commented.

Enjolras, for some strange reason, felt anger towards Marius. _Why? He didn't do anything._

"No! Not at all." Enjolras responded, trying to hide the growl in his voice.

"Well if you don't mind, I'm dropping off some plans for tonight's meeting. Courfeyrac is making some more pamphlets. I'm going to go pick them up."

"I'll come too!" Eponine exclaimed as she followed Marius to the stairs.

Before she left, she took one last look at Enjolras.

"You're a very interesting man. Do you mind if we talk again?"

"Not at all. Come by anytime...just leave the love stuff out of it."

Eponine giggled and disappeared.

What she didn't see was the small grin forming on the revolutionary's lips.

The two of them had many more talks together, which spanned beyond the conversation they first had. They spoke about books, history, words, politics, and of course the revolution. Enjolras never thought he would be this close to a woman, and he was very surprised at her interests especially coming from a beggar girl.

Eponine really made an impact on him one day in April. A crowd had gathered in front of the great General Lamarque's house. Enjolras was speaking to his followers about the rights of the people, how the King must be overthrown. He usually didn't have off days, but on this day he was losing his touch. Many of his followers were leaving, which made Enjolras panic. _I can't lose them! We need this revolution!_ In the middle of the crowd stood a face he recognized. Eponine's. All at once, Enjolras felt a rush of adrenaline. His heart pounded in his chest. His mind cleared. Without realizing what he was saying, his words brought his people back, cheering. Enjolras never felt so alive than he felt now. When he finished, Enjolras searched for Eponine's face in the mess of people. When he did, a burning sensation grew in the pit of his stomach. She was talking to Marius, and she was smiling. Was he jealous? Jealous of his friend for catching the eye of this woman to whom he did not have feelings for? _Could I be in love?_ Eponine turned her head, brown eyes meeting his blue. _No. Not love, but she is what I need. She is the symbol of the revolution._

From that point on, the face of Eponine fueled his fire. His speeches had drastically improved, and more people began to listen. When he wrote his speeches, he didn't cross out Eponine's name. Eponine was his Patria. At night, he saw her face in his dreams. If it was possible to smile in a dream, he wore the biggest one. _She is my muse. She is my voice. She is my revolution._

* * *

He watched as Marius left with Eponine, no doubt going to go find Marius' mystery girl. The burning sensation came back, but he pushed it away. Lamarque was dead. The revolution was falling into place.

Enjolras rallied his people. The revolution would take place at Lamarque's funeral, which meant that they had only one day to prepare. The women began to sew flags and the men began to fashion bullets out of melted silver. The hum of revolutionary fervor flew all over the cafe. This what he had been dreaming of. This is what he worked so hard for. _This is what Eponine helped me with._

 _Eponine._ Just the thought of her name made him giddy. How can one woman make his dream come true? His heart beated hard, his adrenaline flowed through his body. _Eponine._ The revolution, suddenly, became a blur. _Eponine._

It was about three in the morning when Enjolras finally decided to go home. It had been a long day and an exciting night, but he needed rest for the battle to come. As he gathered his materials, he heard the familiar footsteps walking up the stairs. _Eponine._

She stood at the top of the stairwell, wet from the rain going on outside. Eponine looked like a painting, one that every artist everywhere would envy. She had the true aura of liberty.

"Is Marius here?" she asked weakly.

Enjolras shook his head.

"He left a few hours ago."

Eponine nodded. "I'm sorry to bother you, monsieur. I'll leave now."

She disappeared down the stairs. Enjolras watched her leave, but for some reason didn't want her to go. His heart began to beat again. For some reason he wanted to follow her, and for some reason he did.

"Eponine!" he called out to her in the quiet streets. She turned around, surprised at the sight of the revolutionary running towards her.

"Oui, monsieur?"

"The moment has finally arrived. The revolution will be upon us."

Eponine looked at him with concern, something that Enjolras had never seen her do yet liked.

"So, you are going to join them?" she asked.

Enjolras nodded.

"I'm leading."

"Will Marius be there?"

 _Marius. She's going to fight with Marius._ Enjolras felt that sensation in the pit of his stomach again, this time consuming his entire stomach.

"Oui." he swallowed.

Before Eponine could leave, Enjolras grabbed her arm.

"I know what you are thinking. It's not worth it. Risking your life for a man who will never return your affections."

"Why do you care what happens to me? I'm a nobody!"

"No you are not! Eponine, you are somebody! Marius is a child. He is blind. I may have had this revolution taking up most of my time, but there was never a moment that I never saw you. Marius doesn't know how lucky he is to have you to look out for him. He's fighting for the wrong woman. He should be fighting for you, like I am…"

Eponine looked at him in a mixture of shock and puzzlement.

"Monsieur Enjolras...are...are you in love with me?"

Enjolras froze. _Love? Was I in love with her the entire time?_ He thought back to all the times he saw her, how she was always on his mind. How he always felt stronger when she was around. How he truly understood what it meant to fight for a cause, because she was _his_ cause. It was true. He was fighting for her.

"Is there any possible way that I could win your affections?" Enjolras asked with hesitation in his voice.

Eponine held his hand and looked at him in the eyes.

"Enjolras, your duty is to the revolution. Mine is to Marius. Mine will always be to Marius. I'm...I'm sorry."

Enjolras's chest began to hurt, as if he had been shot. He didn't want to believe her words. He didn't want to believe his heart. His heart, which was now breaking.

"Don't be sorry. We have our duties, and we must fulfill them." Enjolras choked.

Eponine nodded in agreement.

"Good luck on your revolution, monsieur Enjolras. I hope all goes well."

As she began to walk away, Enjolras called to her.

"EPONINE!"

She turned around again.

Through the heartbreak he felt, through the sadness and woe, he told her something that he truly meant with all his heart.

"Stay away from the barricades."

She stared at Enjolras for a few seconds more before leaving him alone.

Enjolras didn't move. He just watched the woman he had fallen in love with hurry down the street.

 _I was the one who had it all._ Enjolras realized.

 _I was the master of my fate_

 _I never needed anybody in my life_

 _I learned the truth too late_

Eponine was still in his line of sight, her dress and hair flying as she ran. His chest now burned with heartbreak.

 _I'll never shake away the pain_

 _I close my eyes but she's still there_

 _I let her steal into my melancholy heart_

 _It's more than I can bear_

Eponine's form was disappearing into the night. He didn't want to lose her. Without breaking his contact of her, Enjolras hurried back to the cafe.

 _Now I know she'll never leave me_

 _Even as she runs away_

 _She will still torment me_

 _Call me, hurt me_

 _Move me, come what may_

He climbed the very stair that she would climb, trying to see if he could still keep her in his sight.

 _Wasting in my lonely cafe_

 _Waiting by an open door_

 _I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in_

 _And be with me for evermore_

He managed to get to the cafe window and to his relief, Enjolras could still see her. He held his hand out of the window as if he could grabber her.

 _I rage against the trials of love_

 _I curse the fading of the light_

 _Though she's already flown so far beyond my reach_

 _She's never out of sight_

Eponine was now as small as a speck, but Enjolras didn't care. He could still see her. His love. His Patria. His revolution.

 _Now I know she'll never leave me_

 _Even as she fades from view_

 _She will still inspire me_

 _Be a part of everything I do_

 _Wasting in my lonely cafe_

 _Waiting by an open door_

 _I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in_

 _And as the long, long nights begin_

 _I'll think of all that might have been_

 _Waiting here for evermore_

In the distance, Eponine stopped and looked back. For the first time ever, she felt something she had never felt before. She felt loved.


End file.
